Christmas Present
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Spoilers but mostly speculation for the midseason finale, "Christmas Spirit." Athena's Christmas present for Bobby is a pretty big surprise.


Athena sighed nervously as she waited for Bobby to get home. A flutter of fear went through her but she ignored it because it wouldn't do anyone any good. At least the kids were out to dinner with Michael and they were alone for a few more hours. When Bobby came through the door with some last minute groceries, she grinned at her husband. "How was shopping?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He glared at her. "Pure hell. Wish we had checked our supplies sooner, although it wouldn't have made a difference." But Bobby softened and kissed her before depositing the bags on the counter. "You okay? Something seems off," he observed.

"I'm fine, Bobby. You worry too much." He had hit the nail on the head but she wasn't about to ruin the big surprise yet. At least she had something else to focus on as they put the groceries away and he started preparing for their big dinner - everyone was coming over and they were about to have a full house.

He eyed her in concern, not buying her story. Something was definitely up and he planned to get it out of Athena soon but right now, he had dinner to worry about so he gave her a quick kiss and got back to work. "We're getting ready early next year - I don't care how tired we are or how crowded we think the stores are going to be."

Athena snorted. "Good luck with that." She wasn't about to brave the crowds if she didn't have to.

He shook his head and continued to work. Once some of the food was in the oven and they had cleaned up a bit, he finally decided to confront her again. "You're not telling me something. Did something happen?" he questioned.

She shook her head and smiled at her husband. "No, but I have a present for you that I'm giving you early." Athena walked over to the tree and handed the box to Bobby, nerves acting up again.

"You're giving me a present early?" he asked, deeply confused.

"Just open the damn present," she urged, nausea welling up within her. She inhaled and exhaled a few times.

"Fine." Bobby nervously smiled her and fumbled with the wrapping paper as he tore it off. He opened the box and pulled whatever was in it out, gasping when it finally hit him what it was. He still squinted for about forty-five seconds, however, left reeling. "Is this a pregnancy test?" he asked his wife.

"Yes," she responded, still waiting on pins and needles for his reaction.

"And it's positive?" he checked even though the test in his hand clearly said "pregnant".

"It's positive," Athena confirmed.

His mouth dropped open as he tried to process the news. "Holy shit," he whispered.

She hesitated for a second, fear overwhelming her again. "Are you happy?" she asked in such a small voice it broke his heart.

Bobby finally recovered enough to pull his wife into his arms. His pregnant wife! "I'm beyond thrilled," he reassured her with a smile so wide it had to hurt.

Athena sagged in relief. "Thank fuck."

"Are you happy?" he countered, pulling back from her. He dropped the test on the table and wiped his hands on his shirt. "What? You peed on that!" he defended upon seeing the look on Athena's face.

She laughed. "True. I didn't like touching it myself. I'm nervous and terrified but excited. Look how old we are! Now we're starting the clock all over again. But I want this baby. Just couldn't comprehend that it was actually happening until I took six different pregnancy tests and they all came back positive. And even then I couldn't believe it, so I made a quick trip to my doctor's office. Blood work also confirmed it. Surprise!"

"And are you okay?" He knew her age would be a big concern for a pregnancy.

"Yeah. I"m a little high risk because of my age but the doctor did an ultrasound and we're both healthy." She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it over to her husband.

He gasped upon seeing the ultrasound and teared up. "That's our baby in there."

"Damn right it is." Athena let out a gasp of surprise when Bobby picked her up and twirled her around. "Morning sickness is a thing, Robert Nash!"

He quickly set her down and apologized. "I love you, Athena. I love you so damn much." Bobby's hand wandered down and he splayed it across her stomach. "And I love you already, kid. I've only known about you for less than ten minutes and I already can't imagine my life without you." He sobered when his mind went to Brook and Bobby. He missed his kids every day and would always feel guilty. He wasn't about to fuck up that badly again and didn't plan on it but he couldn't help but worry anyway.

"Don't let your mind go to dark places," Athena chided.

"Sorry," he apologized again.

"And don't apologize. This is amazing news - we're allowed to celebrate. And you can mourn the fact that this baby won't ever meet two of their older siblings but not today, okay?"

"Thanks," Bobby whispered.

"You're welcome. And I love you too, Bobby." She kissed him and the two of them embraced each other for a few minutes.

"So, the pregnancy is one of my Christmas presents, huh?" Bobby questioned when they finally and reluctantly pulled apart.

Her grin lit up the living room. "Absolutely. Between last year's engagement and this year's pregnancy announcement, I don't think we'll ever be able to top the holiday again. Although the baby's first Christmas next year may be a pretty big contender," Athena mused.

Bobby's breath caught in his threat. "A baby that we made together." He adored May and Harry like they were his own but this was surreal. He couldn't wait to meet this life he and the woman he loved created.

She smirked. "Must have been the night the kids were out with Michael and we decided to throw caution to the wind and fuck on the kitchen floor."

"Paid for that one." It seemed like a good idea at the time but both of them had been sore for days afterwards.

"In more ways than one, apparently. And let's keep this to ourselves for a while, okay? I don't want to get ahead of ourselves - my age is still a pretty big factor and anything could go wrong." Athena didn't want to think like that, especially on Christmas, but they had to be realistic.

"Hey, if I'm not allowed to think the worst, neither are you," he gently chided before kissing her again.

Athena turned on one of their favorite (non-Christmas) songs and the two of them danced for a few minutes before getting back to work. She hid the pregnancy test in their bedroom garbage can then quickly rejoined her husband in the kitchen.

Their first guests arrived pretty quickly and then they were distracted. Bobby and Athena couldn't help exchanging warm and loving glances all night, arousing Buck's suspicions, but he didn't catch on to what they were so happy about.

This pregnancy was the last thing Bobby and Athena had expected but neither could wait to welcome the baby into their ever-changing lives. This news was about to upend everything but definitely not in a bad way.

And Athena was right - they never topped their first two Christmases together again.


End file.
